Folder for printing machines



July 4, 1939. A. M. ZUCKERMAN FOLDER FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Adolph Mluch'erman.

ATT RNEY- July 1939 A. M. ZUCKERMAN FOLDER FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 10, 1957.

2 sheets sheet 2 INVENTOR Adaphi'lluclrerman Patented July 4, 1939 FOLDER FOR PRINTING MACHINES Adolph M. Zuckerman,

to R. Hoe & 00., Inc

poration of New Yor New York, N. Y., assignor New York, N. Y,

Application September 10, 1937, Serial No. 163,170

8 Claims.

This invention relates to folders for printing machines and more particularly to folders for the products from printing machines for use in forming signatures for magazines, pamphlets,

r-catalogues and the like.

Printing machines are frequently arranged to so print webs that when they are cut into sheets or cut-offs as they are commonly called, a series of products is produced, the production of each series corresponding to either one revolution of the printing cylinders or two or more equal fractional revolutions.

Folders heretofore used have been arranged to fold and deliver the cut-offs either as signatures consisting of single cut-offs or signatures each consisting of a plurality of collected cutoifs.

The invention herein disclosed provides a folder whereby individual products of a series of products printed in succession on a web and severed into sheets to form cut-offs may be collected and delivered as heretofore, or alternately, single corresponding cut-offs of each series, may be diverted to one delivery while the remaining cut-offs of the series are either collected or not as desired, and are forwarded to another delivery. By providing a folder capable of such arrangements, a variety of combinations of numbers of pages in the signatures and in the number of signatures required for a product, such as a magazine, are made possible, which could not be accomplished by folders, as previously provided.

One object of this invention is to provide a folder for a printing machine whereby collected and non-collected cut-offs can be delivered simultaneously, to different delivery mechanisms.

Another object is to provide a folder of the above nature which may be arranged to deliver either, non-collected cut-offs or collected cutoffs, or collected and non-collected cut-offs simultaneously, to separate delivery mechanisms.

A still further object is to provide a magazine folder of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efiicient in its use.

With the foregoing and other'objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

55 wherein;

Figure 1 illustrates a magazine folder adapted to be used to deliver either three uncollected cut-offs; or one collected product consisting of three cut-offs, the total length of which substantially equals the circumference of the printing cylinder; or to deliver simultaneously one collected product consisting of two cut-offs, the combined length of which substantially equals two-thirds of the circumference of the printing cylinder to one delivery, substantially equals one of the printing cylinder, Figure 2 illustrates a third the circumference to another delivery. magazine folder adapted to be used to deliver either four uncollected cut-01f or two collected products consisting of 15 two cut-offs, the combined length of which cutoffs substantially equals the circumference of the printing cylinder; or one collected product consisting of four cut-offs, the combined length of which substantially equals the circumference 20 of the printing cylinder; or to deliver simultaneously, one product consisting of three cutoffs to one delivery and one cut-off to another delivery.

Figure 3 illustrates a somewhat modified arrangement of the parts of a folder to deliver the same groups of products as the arrangement shown in Figure 1.

Common to all of the forms and arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 is a pair of web 30 feeding rollers l0 and II which receive a printed web or webs l2 from a printing machine having printing cylinders (not shown) upon which the desired and usual printing plates are mounted. The rollers l0 and H feed the printed web or 35 webs l2 to a cut-off mechanism, including a cutting cylinder, which is adapted to cooperate with another cylinder to cutthe web or webs into cut-offs in accordance with the arrangement of the printed matter upon the webs. Suit- 40 able delivery mechanisms are provided, which, in this instance, are shown in their simplest form as product receiving and carrying belts l3 and M, with which suitable delivery cylinders l5 and lli'respectively co-operate. In some 45 instances the products require two folds before final delivery but the second folding means has been omitted for the sake of clearness and simplicity in the description of this invention.

Referring now to the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the rollers l0 and H are arrangedto feed a printed web or webs to a cutting cylinder H, which co-operates with a sheet taking cylinder I 8 to cut the web into sheets or cut-offs.-

As shown in the drawings the cylinders l1 and and one cut-off, which l8 are substantially the same diameter as the printing cylinder and are arranged to cut the web into three cut-ofis, the combined length of which cut-offs is substantially equal to the circumference of the printing cylinder. The cylinders I1 and I8 are provided with the usual co-operating cutting knives l9 and cutting abutments 2! respectively, there being three sets of the same required when the cylinders are of the diameter shown. In accordance with the usual practice and design of co-operating cutting cylinders, such as I! and I8, they may also be either one-third or two-thirds the diameter of the printing cylinder and have respectively one or two cutting knives and pads respectively if such size of cylinder is desirable and the pins and knives are operative.

In addition to the cutting abutments 2|, the taking cylinder I8 is provided with three sets of cut-off engaging and carrying pins 22 which are adapted to engage the cut-offs as they are out from the web and carry them to either or selectively to both a collecting cylinder 23 and a transfer cylinder 24. The collecting cylinder 23 is provided with a plurality of cut-off engaging pins 25 and a corresponding number of tucking blades 28. The collecting cylinder 23 is shown as being a so-called four-part cylinder, that is, its circumference is equal to the combined length of four cut-offs and having four sets of pins 25 and blades 25, but it may be a two-part cylinder having only two sets of pins and blades if this is desirable. When the circumference of the printing cylinder equals three cut-offs, and when three cut-offs are produced by the cutting cylinder H, the cylinder 23 must be either a two or four part cylinder.

The tucking blades 26 on the cylinder 23 cooperate with folding jaws 21 provided on a jaw cylinder 28 which is herein shown as having three sets of jaws and being of a diameter equal to that of the printing cylinder. The diameter of the cylinder 28 may also be either one-third or two-thirds the diameter of the printing cylinder if such a size is desirable, and would then be provided with one or two sets of jaws respectively. The delivery cylinder l5 removes the folded products from the jaw cylinder 28 by means of gripping fingers 29 and delivers them to the belts l3 of which several are usually provided. Cylinders 30 may be located adjacent the cylinders 28 and 34 to assist in the transfer of the out-offs in a well known manner. It is the practice in some folders to operate the cylinder 15 so as to deliver the products somewhat slower than they are cut from the web and this is allowable in this arrangement. The diameter of the cylinder l5 may also be either one-third or two-thirds that of the printing cylinder.

The transfer cylinder 24 is herein shown as having one pin 3| and a tucking blade 32 and being of a diameter equal to that of the printing cylinder. The tucking blade 32 co-operates with a set of jaws 33 on a jaw cylinder 34 to fold the sheet or cut-off engaged by the pin 3! and carry it to the delivery cylinder Hi from which by means of a gripping finger 35 the folded product is taken from the jaws 33 and delivered to the belt l4.

It will be understood that suitable gearing (not shown) is provided to drive all of the above mentioned cylinders in timed relation so that the various knives, pins, blades, jaws, and product gripping fingers properly co-operate to respectively cut, engage, fold, and deliver the cutthe jaw cylinder 28.

offs to the respective belts l3 and M. The various cylinders and belts are driven to rotate or move in the direction as indicated by the arrows applied thereto.

By means of the arrangement shown in Figure 1 the three cut-offs, severed from the web by the cutting knives E9 on the cylinder l! as the web is fed thereto by the rollers l0 and I l, are taken one at a time by the pins 22 on the cylinder l8 and carried first toward and past the transfer cylinder 24 and then toward the collecting cylinder 23. In accordance with the usual practice the collecting cylinder 23 may be adapted to either carry the cut-offs to the jaw cylinder 28 and have the tucking blades 25 co-operate with the jaws 27 to fold the cut-offs one at a time, or to carry the cut-offs past the jaw cylinder 28 and collect them on the cylinder 23 in groups of three before the co-operating blades 26 and jaws 21 act to fold the collected cut-offs.

By the provision of the transfer cylinder 24 a still further arrangement of the cut-offs can be obtained, wherein one of the three cut-offs severed from the web may be removed from the taking cylinder l8 by the pins 3| and the remaining two of the cut-offs are carried past the transfer cylinder to the collecting cylinder 23. As above described the collecting cylinder 23 may be adapted to either direct and fold these two cut-offs separately onto the jaw cylinder 28, or may collect them in groups of two cut-offs each and then direct and fold each group onto The single cut-off taken by the transfer cylinder 24 is folded by the cooperating blade 32 and jaws 33 and carried by the jaw cylinder 34 to the delivery cylinder I6.

While it is obviously possible to have the collecting cylinder 23 disposed in advance of the transfer cylinder 24 in respect to the delivery of cut-offs thereto, it is preferable to arrange these cylinders as shown, with the transfer cylinder 24 in advance of the collecting cylinder 23 to avoid the necessity of providing complicated mechanism on the cylinder 23 to periodically silence each pin 25 on this cylinder in order to allow certain cut-offs to pass by to the transfer cylinder 24. As shown in Figure 1, wherein three cut-offs are made from a section of web equal to the circumference of the printing cylinder, the first cut-off A to approach the cylinder 24 is taken by this cylinder, and the second and third cut-offs B and C pass by the cylinder 24 and are taken by the collecting cylinder 23.

When the arrangement is such that the cutoffs B and C are to be collected by the cylinder 23 before being folded and passed on to the delivery cylinder l5, the three cut-ofis are progressively delivered as follows: all A cut-offs to reach the cylinder 24 are engaged by the pin 3t on this cylinder, folded and delivered to the delivery cylinder I6; the cut-off B is engaged by the second pin 25 on the collected cylinder 23 to approach the taking cylinder 18, the first pin 25 on the cylinder 23' having passed by without engaging a cut-off, as the A cut-off, normally present in position to be engaged thereby, has been taken by the pin 3| on the cylinder 24; the cut-off C, or following cut-ofi, is engaged by the third pin 25 to approach the cylinder; the fourth pin 25 on the cylinder 23 to approach the cylinder l8 misses the first, or A cut-off, of the next section of the printed web, as it is taken by the pin '3! on the cylinder 24. The B cut-ofif'of this section of printed web is taken by the first pin 25 and the C cut-01f is taken by the second pin 25 of the cylinder 23. It will here be noted that the second pin 25 of the cylinder 23 has now collected a B cut-off and a C cut-off, and as these two cut-offs approach the jaw cylinder 28 they are folded off by the jaws 27 and carried to the delivery cylinder l5. The above action continues as indicated by the letters A, B, and C in association with the cylinders 23 and 24 in Figure 1, the collected B and C cut-offs being folded off and delivered each time they reach the jaw cylinder 28 as a collected and folded product. The letter O as used on the cylinder 23 indicates the absence (in the sequence) of the product A which has been diverted.

A folder having the form and arrangement shown in Figure 3, folds and delivers the same product, and is adapted to operate in the same manner, as the folder shown in Figure 1. In the folder shown in Figure 3, however, the cutting cylinder 4| is provided with a pin 42 adapted to be made operative to engage and carry a cutoff to a transfer cylinder 43 to be taken by the pin 44 provide-d thereon and folded off onto a jaw cylinder 45. In this arrangement the delivery belts 46 receive a product from the delivery cylinder 41 and carry it in a direction opposite to that in which products are carried by the belts 3.

In the Figure 3 form, a taking cylinder 48 is, as in the preferred form shown in Figure 1 and described above, provided with three pins 49, but one of these pins 49 is arranged to be silence-d in a well known manner, by being removed or otherwise made inoperative (as shown in dotted lines), when it is desired to direct one of the cut-offs to the delivery belt 46 through the cutting cylinder 4|, the transfer cylinder 43, the jaw cylinder 45, and the delivery cylinder 41. The collecting cylinder 23, the jaw cylinder 28, and the delivery cylinder I5 are the same as in the preferred form shown in Figure 1 and may be arranged to operate upon the cut-offs in the same manner. The arrangement shown in Figure 3 is particularly useful where one of the cut-offs is different from the others and, to avoid possible confusion with the others, an oppositely directed delivery is desired.

A folder of the form and arrangement shown in Figure 2 is adapted for use when the circumference of the printing cylinder is equal to four cut-offs. In this form the web is directed through the rollers l and H to a cutting cylinder and a taking cylinder 52. Herein the cylinder 5| is provided with only two cutting knives 53 and the taking cylinder 52 is provided with only two cutting abutments 54 co-operating with the knives 53 and two pins 55. The cylinders 5| and 52 are also shown as having their diameters but one-half the diameter of the printing cylinder so that two revolutions of each are required to cut from the web four sheets or cutoffs. It is obvious that the diameters of the cylinders 5| and 52 could be either one-quarter, three-quarters, or equal to that of the printing cylinder with the proper number of knives, cutting abutments and pins provided respectively on each.

When the circumference of the printing cylinder equals substantially four cut-offs, a three or five part collecting cylinder 56 is provided having either three or five pins 51 and three or five tucking blades 58 respectively. The pins 5'! engage and carry cut-offs from the taking cylinder 52 to a jaw cylinder 59 whereat, due to folding jaws 6| on the cylinder 59 and which co-operate with the tucking blades 58 on the cylinder 56, they are folded and carried to a delivery cylinder 62, to be delivered to a belt or belts l3. The jaw cylinder 59 and the delivery cylinder 62 are shown as being of a diameter only one-half that of the printing cylinder but as in the case of the cutting and taking cylinder, 5| and 52 respectively, may be of a diameter either onequarter, three-quarters, or equal to the diameter of the printing cylinder.

A transfer cylinder 63 having a pin 64 and a tucking blade 65 thereon is provided and preferably arranged as shown disposed in advance of the collecting cylinder 56 in respect to the delivery of cut-offs from the cutting and taking cylinders 5| and 52 respectively, but as explained, in respect to the arrangement shown in Figure 1, this disposition of the cylinders 63 and 56 may be reversed, if desired. The tucking blade 65 on the transfer cylinder 63 co-operates with the jaws 66 on a jaw cylinder 6! to fold any cut-offs engaged and carried thereto by the pin 64 on the transfer cylinder 63. From the jaw cylinder 6? the folded products are taken by a delivery cylinder 68 and delivered to a belt 69. The diameters of the cylinders 63, 61, and 68 are shown as being one-half of the diameter of the printing cylinder but their diameters, as in the case of the cutting cylinder 5| and the taking cylinder 52, may be either one-quarter of, threequarters of, or equal to the diameter of the printing cylinder.

By removing or otherwise silencing the pin 64 on the transfer cylinder 63 all four of the cutoffs the length of which substantially equals the circumference of the printing cylinder will be directed from the taking cylinder 52 to the collecting cylinder 56 to be either folded off onto the jaw cylinder 59 separately, or collected on the cylinder 56 in groups of two or four and then folded off onto the cylinder 59.

When the transfer cylinder 63 is in operation by having the pin 64 carried thereby in operative condition to engage cut-offs from the taking cylinder 52, the first cut-01f A will be taken by the pin 65 and the three remaining ones B, C, and D will be carried to the collecting cylinder 56 for either collection thereby or for transfer thereby singly to the jaw cylinder 59. If desired two cut-offs A and B may be collected by the pin 64 before the tucking blade 65 operates in cooperation with the jaws 66, to fold the same, and in this case only the cut-offs C and D are carried to the collecting cylinder 56.

By the provision of the above described folding mechanisms, printed webs may be cut into sheets or cut-offs, folded, and delivered either as non-collected products, collected products, or as simultaneously collected and non-collected products.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood that each and every novel feature and combination present in or possessed by the mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of the invention included in this application.

What I claim is:

1. In a folder for a web printing machine means to sever the Web into sheets, a collecting cylinder to which the sheets are transferred,

folding and delivering mechanism for operating with the collecting cylinder, and a second cylinder cooperating with said folding and delivering .mechanism and being adapted to receive a portion of the sheets out by the cutting means; said second cylinder being positioned to engage the sheets before they reach the collecting cylinder.

2. In a folder for a web printing machine, means to cut the web into sheets, a collecting cylinder to which cut sheets are transferred, folding and delivering mechanism co-operating with the collecting cylinder, and another cylinder having co-operating folding and delivering mechanism thereon and being adapted to take a portion of the sheets cut by the cutting means in advance of the transfer of the remaining ones to said collecting cylinder.

3. In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms to deliver substantially simultaneously collected and non-collected cut-offs cut from a Web each to a different one of said delivery mechanisms, including, a cut-off taking cylinder adapted to receive each of a plurality of cut-offs, a transfer cylinder adapted to take selected cut-off from said taking cylinder, and a collecting cylinder adapted to take each of the remaining cut-offs from said taking cylinder.

4. In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms to deliver substantially simultaneously collected and non-collected cut-offs cut from a web each to a different one of said delivery mechanisms, including, a cut-off taking cylinder adapted to receive each of a plurality 'of cut-offs, a transfer cylinder adapted to take a selected cut-off from said taking cylinder, a collecting cylinder adapted to take each of the remaining cut-offs from said taking cylinder and to collect one with another, and means to fold the collected cut-offs from said collecting cylinder.

5. In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms to deliver substantially simultaneously collected and non-collected cut-offs cut from a web each to a different one of said delivery mechanisms, including, a cut-off taking cylinder adapted to receive each of a plurality of cut-offs, a transfer cylinder adapted to take a selected cut-off from said taking cylinder, means to fold the cut-off from said transfer cylinder, and a collecting cylinder adapted to take each of the remaining cut-offs from said taking cylinder.

6. In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms to deliver substantially simultaneously collected and non-collected cut-offs cut from a web each to a different one of said delivery mechanisms, including, a cut-off taking cylinder adapted to receive each of a plurality of cut-offs, a transfer cylinder adapted to take a selected cut-off from said taking cylinder, means to fold the cut-0E from said transfer cylinder, a collecting cylinder adapted to take each of the remaining cut-offs from said taking cylinder, and to collect one with another, means to fold the. collected cut-offs from said collecting cylinder, and separate delivery mechanisms to receive the folded cut-offs from said transfer and collecting cylinders.

7 In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms, a cooperating pair of cutting cylinders to which a web is directed, said cylinders having cooperating means to cut the web into a plurality of cut-offs, one of said cutting cylinders having means thereon to transfer the cut-offs one at a time as cut, a collecting cylinder having means to take the cut-offs from said cutting cylinder having transfer means thereon, said collecting cylinder having cut-01f folding means thereon, a first folding cylinder having means thereon to cooperate with the folding means on said collecting cylinder to fold the cut-offs and take them from said collecting cylinder, a cylinder having means thereon to take cut-offs from said first folding cylinder and deliver them to one of said delivery mechanisms, a cut-off taking cylinder cooperating with said cut-off cylinder having cut-off transfer means, said cut-oft taking cylinder having cut-off taking means and cut-off folding means thereon, a second folding cylinder having means thereon to cooperate with the folding means on said outoff taking cylinder to fold the cut-offs and take them from said taking cylinder, a cylinder having means thereon to take cut-offs from said second folding cylinder and deliver them to the other of said delivery mechanisms.

8. In a folding mechanism, separated delivery mechanisms, a cooperating pair of cutting cylinders to which a web is directed, said cylinders having cooperating means to cut the web into a plurality of cut-offs, one of said cutting cylinders having means thereon to transfer the cut-offs one at a time as cut, a collecting cylinder having means to take the cut-offs from said cutting cylinder having transfer means thereon, said collecting cylinder having cut-off folding means thereon, a first folding cylinder having means thereon to cooperate with the folding means on said collecting cylinder to fold the cut-offs and take them from said collecting cylinder, a cylinder having means thereon to take cut-offs from said first folding cylinder and deliver them to one of said delivery mechanisms, a cut-off taking cylinder cooperating with said cut-off cylinder having cut-off transfer means, said cut-off taking cylinder having cut-off taking means and cut-01f folding means thereon and adapted to take and fold non-collected selected cut-offs from said cutting cylinder in advance of such action by said collecting cylinder, a second folding cylinder having means thereon to cooperate with the folding means on said cut-off taking cylinder to fold the cut-offs and take them from said taking cylinder, a cylinder having means thereon to take cut-offs from said second folding cylinder and deliver them to the other of said delivery mechanisms.

ADOLPH M. ZUCKERMAN. 

